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Friends United Meeting |
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November 2001
Commitments
By Retha McCutchen
This column is being written in the immediate aftermath of the unspeakable death and destruction in New York City and Washington, D.C. The search for bodies has just begun. People of the United States are stunned!
As U.S. citizens, we now feel firsthand the pain experienced by others
around the world...
...the Rwandan refugees
...Iranian people as bombs fall, then sanctions leave them hungry
...Palestinians as hundreds are shot and/or assassinated a few at a time,
adding up to hundreds
...Residents of Nairobi and Dar es Salem experiencing bombing of U.S.
embassies
...Israelis when a suicide bomber boards a commuter bus...
...to list a few. The picture of Afghans fleeing their homes and country
out of fear of U.S. bombs breaks my heart and sends me to my knees. I
believe such scenes also break the heart of God.
Hope is present in the form of the people of America who have turned to God in their pain. National Public Radio broadcast live a spontaneous prayer meeting on the streets of New York City. Thousands observed a National Day of Prayer called by President Bush—and continue praying. Sunday worship services are packed with people seeking comfort.
While our president shouts inflammatory rhetoric like "dead or alive" and "this is war," followed by threats of bombing Afghanistan, my greatest encouragement is from the youth and young adults of America. Live broadcasts from public high school and college campuses reveal young adults asking the difficult questions and standing for justice. "Why do others hate us so much?" asked a young woman. "Could it be our attitude of superiority or support of oppressive governments?" A young man in the group stated, "violence only brings more violence."
As Christians and certainly as Christian Quakers, we are in a strategic position at this moment in history to "beat swords into plowshares where nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord." (Isaiah 2:4-5)
Let's join hands in combating violence.
Copyright (c) 2001 Friends United Meeting
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